Business leaders name KCK developer building affordable homes leader of the year
She’s trying to build more than 30 houses for people who never thought they’d be able to buy in their hometown. Now, her community’s taking notice.
Business leaders in Kansas City, Kansas, dubbed lifelong resident Fran Sutton as their Female Leader of the Year during a recent awards ceremony.
Sutton, a real estate broker turned developer, launched an initiative last year to address the local housing shortage. She’s tapping into some of the more than 4,300 vacant and abandoned lots that the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCK has in its land bank to build homes in the city’s northeast corner.
She was among numerous business owners to be acknowledged by the KCK Chamber of Commerce for their contributions to economic growth in the community.
“Each recipient has played a vital role in driving growth, opportunity, and community pride, reflecting the spirit of excellence and collaboration that continues to move Kansas City, Kansas forward,” according to a news release from the chamber.
Sutton is one of several both private and nonprofit developers building and selling on Wyandotte’s land bank. She built six homes in the Turner neighborhood last year and kickstarted plans to build 27 near Quindaro Boulevard by mid-2026.
She’s operating on an aggressive schedule: Build at least five homes per month over the course of five months.
Should all go according to plan, Sutton will have constructed and sold homes that are part of what she’s calling the North Star Development Project, a nod to the history of the Quindaro Ruins as a key stop in the Underground Railroad. The homes will stand just east of Klamm Park and have a mix of styles and sizes.
“Creating housing in our NE KCK in Klamm Park is literally breathing life into a community that has been long overlooked for development,” Sutton said. “ I am sincerely hoping that this development of 27 homes spurs small business development along Quindaro that will bring much needed commodities for community families”
And she doesn’t plan to stop after those 27, she said. Sutton plans to leave every block in northeast KCK better than when she found it.
Also during the ceremony, the chamber named Connect Café the city’s Small Business of the Year. The cafe, situated near 8th Street and Armstrong Boulevard, lives in the former home of the Kansas City Kansan newspaper, which is no longer in circulation.
Connected to the local FosterAdopt Connect program, the cafe employs people who are or who have been youths in foster care. People who work there get to pick up skills to help them navigate life outside of the foster system.
The new Margaritaville Hotel Kansas City, which opened in west KCK last summer, earned the title Attraction of the Year.
The chamber also named Cristal Ugarte of Security Bank of KC as the city’s Young Professional Leader of the Year and Mark One Electric as Partner of the Year.
Local business owners are looking forward to what the year ahead means for economic development.
“With the World Cup on the horizon, the arrival of Buc-ee’s, continued expansion of the American Royal grounds, and the beginning phases of the Kansas City Chiefs’ new home in Wyandotte County, the region is poised for unprecedented growth and opportunity,” according to the release.
